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Arthur Clement Hilton
by George J. Dance Arthur Clement Hilton (1851 - April 3, 1877) was an Anglican priest, and an English poet who wrote nonsense verse."Notes on Life and Works," Selected Poetry of Arthur Clement Hilton (1851-1877), Representative Poetry Online, University of Toronto, UToronto.ca, Web, Nov. 25, 2011. Life Hilton attended Marlborough College and St. John's College, Cambridge. He graduated in 1873 from Wells Theological Seminary, and was ordained deacon in 1874 and priest in 1875. He received his M.A. from Cambridge in 1876. He died suddenly in 1877. Writing Critical introduction by Charles L. Graves Hilton never reached the Sixth at Marlborough, and only took a pass degree at Cambridge, but his school and University record is not a fair index of his accomplishments. He had a genuine love of literature and archæology, wrote clever verses as a boy, and excelled as an actor. Still, his early efforts gave little inkling of the real genius for parody revealed in the Light Green, a burlesque magazine — the title of which was suggested by a short-lived Oxford periodical called the Dark Blue — two numbers of which appeared in the May Term of 1872. Hilton wrote the great bulk of the contents, and all the best things are from his pen. Some of the wittiest verses — notably the delicious burlesque version of Tennyson’s "May Queen" — are too rich in undergraduate references to appeal to the general public, but an exception must be made in favour of "The Heathen Pass-ee", in which Hilton achieved the difficult task of rewriting a famous humorous poem Heathen Chinee" of [[Bret Harte] - GD], and equalling the humour of the original. As for the "Octopus", it is generally admitted to be the best of all the innumerable parodies of Swinburne in the "Dolores" vein and stanza. It is a perfect caricature alike of the metrical excesses and the violent voluptuousness of the original. Hilton wrote a few light farcical plays, including his amusing Hamlet: or Not such a Fool as he Looks — which students of burlesque may like to compare with Gilbert’s admirable Rosencrantz and Guilderstern — and some graceful verses of a graver cast, but his best work is to be found in the Light Green.from Charles L. Graves, "Critical Introduction: Arthur Clement Hilton (1851–1877)," The English Poets: Selections with critical introductions (edited by Thomas Humphry Ward). New York & London: Macmillan, 1880-1918. Web, Mar. 29, 2016. Publications *''Hamlet; or, Not such a fool as he looks.'' Cambridge, UK: W. Metcalfe, 1870. * Sing-song: A nursery rhyme book. London: G. Routledge, 1872.Arthur Clement Hilton, "Ding Dong," Representative Poetry Online, University of Toronto, UToronto.ca, Web, Nov. 25, 2011. * The Light Green: A superior and high-class periodical, supported only by well-known and popular writers. No. 1-2. Cambridge, UK: W. Metcalfe, 1872-73. * The Works of Arthur Clement Hilton (Of Marlborough & Cambridge): Author of "The Light Green": Together with his life and letters (edited by Robert P. Edgcumbe). Cambridge, UK: Macmillan & Bowes, 1904. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au: Arthur Clement Hilton, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Aug. 31, 2013. See also * List of British poets. References External links *"The Octopus" in The English Poets: An anthology * "The Heathen Pass-ee" at AllPoetry * Selected Poetry of Arthur Clement Hilton (1851-1877) (5 poems) at Representative Poetry Online. * Arthur Clement Hilton at PoemHunter (6 poems) *Arthur Clement Hilton at Poetry Nook (7 poems) Category:1851 births Category:1877 deaths Category:19th-century poets Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Category:English poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:George Dance articles